Corn-thinner&#39;s vehicle.



No. 716,735. Patented Dec. 23,1902. W, T. MITCHELL & C. 8. SEWELL.

CORN THINNERS VEHICLE.

{Applieatibn al a Aug. 28, 1902i (No Model.)

anmhtmd UNITE STATES Finest ATENT WILLIAM T. MITCHELL AND CHARLES S. SEWELL, OF RIDGELY,

MARYLAND.

CORN-THINNERS VEHFCLE.

-LiPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,7 35, dated December 23, 1902. Application filed August 28, 1902. $erial No. 121,273- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: g

Be it known that we, WILLIAM T. MITCHELL and CHARLES S. SEWELL, citizens of the United States, residing at Ridgely, Caroline county, Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oorn-Thinners Vehicles, of which the following isa specification.

The invention relates to wheeled supports for persons engaged in thinning corn and for other purposes.

The objects of the invention are to provide a vehicle with a suitable seat or support on which a person may sit in proper position to readily reach and pull the superfluous stalks of young corn for the purpose of thinning the hills as the vehicle is drawn along the row; also, to provide means for raising and lowering the seat or support for diiferent heights of corn; also, to so construct the seat orsupport as to provide supports for the operators legs; also, to construct the vehicle with seats or supports for two operators to enable them to thin two rows of corn at the same time; also, to provide independent means for adjusting the height of said seats or supports, and also to provide a simple and effective draft mechanism. These objects are accomplished by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which the figure is a perspective of our improved vehicle.

A designates the rear axle, provided with the ground-wheels a. or, adapted to run in parallel furrows, and A. is the V-shaped reach, formed of two members a ct, secured at their rear divergent ends to the axle A and connected at their front converging ends by a" head A having a vertical opening in which turns the vertical steeringshaft B, carried by the short front axle B, provided with the small wheels I). The front end of the reach A may be adjusted verticallyon the shaft B by means of a vertically-adj ustable collar 5 or in any other suitable manner. A is a cross-bar secured at its middle to the forward part of the reach in rear of its head A and the lower side of this cross-bar is provided with three depending brackets A, the middle one being wider than the end ones. 1 The wheeled frame thus formed may be of any suitable material, though we prefer to make upon the rear axle.

the parts A A A of piping, and the brackets A are of strap or bar iron bolted to the crossbar A It will be seen that this frame is supported at a height to be out of the way of the growing corn and will not injure it by contact.

0 C designate the horizontally-disposed ferred.

Each seat 0 is provided with a back 0', provided at its upper end with an umbrella or shade support U. The rear ends of the seats are supported by means of the rear-' wardly and upwardly curved arms 01, connected to the forward ends of the verticallyrocking levers D, pivoted between their ends Each lever has mounted thereon any suitable form of latch D, which latches engage the toothed segments D secured rigidly to the rear axle.

The singletree F is connected to a lug a projecting forwardly from the head A so that the draft will be in line with the reach or horizontal body of the frame, and the rear cross-bar g of the thills G is rigidly connected, as by a square opening, to the upper squared end of the steering-shaft B, so that the wheels will be turned from the thills to steer the vehicle.

The operation is as follows: The operators will seat themselves on the seats, facingforward, with their legs resting on the diverging seat extensions 0 c, which will bring the 0perators down close enough to the rows of corn to enable them to reach down through the openings between the leg-spaces and as the horse steadily pulls the vehicle along pull up the corn. We have found that by our machine corn-thinning is robbed of its backbreaking feature, and not only so, but a far greater amount of work may be accomplished in a given time, thus saving the farmer considerable expense.

It is obvious that the machine may be used for a number of other purposes, such as weeding and planting and even in gathering certain crops.

What we claim is- 1. A corn-thinners vehicle comprising, a frame having ground supports and an elongated horizontally-disposed seat or support suspended at its front and rear ends below the frame, substantially as set forth.

2. A corn-thinners vehicle comprising, a horizontal wheeled frame to straddle the rows, seats suspended from the frame and having hand-openings.

3. A corn-thinners Vehicle comprising, a horizontal wheeled frame, seats suspended from the frame and having forwardly-projecting, diverging or spaced leg-supporting extensions.

4:. A corn-thinners vehicle comprising a wheeled frame having a forward cross-bar provided with depending brackets, horizontally-disposed seats mounted on their forward ends in the lower ends of said brackets and adjustably supported at their rear ends, substantially as set forth.

5. A corn-thinners vehicle, comprising a wheeled frame, V- shaped horizontal seats supported at their front divergent ends from the forward end of the frame, and means for supporting and adjusting the rear ends of said seats, substantially as set forth.

6. A corn-thinners vehicle comprising a Wheeled frame having depending brackets at its forward end, adjustable levers at its rear end, and horizontallydisposed seats suspended from said brackets and levers, substantially as set forth.

7. A straddle-row corn thinners vehicle, having suspended therebelow a horizontal seat'provided with forwardly-extended legsupporting members, substantially as set forth.

8. A corn-thinuers vehicle of the character described comprising a rear wheeled axle, a reach, a short Wheeled front axle having a vertical shaft mounted in the front end of the reach, a cross-bar secured to the reach adjacent to its front end and provided with depending brackets or supports, seats hung at their front ends on said brackets or supports, rocking levers mounted on .the rear axle and connected to the rear ends of the seats, toothed segments secured to the rear axle and latches mounted on said levers and engaging said segments, substantially as set forth.

9. Acorn-thinnersvehicle having suspended therebelow a horizontally -disposed V- shaped seat provided at its rear end with a back, substantially as set forth.

10. A corn-thinners vehicle comprising the rear wheeled axle, the reach having a head at its front end the steering-wheel having a shaft extending up through said head, the thills fixedly secured to the upper end of said shaft, a singletree secured to the said head and seats suspended from the frame between the front and rear wheels.

11. A corn-thinners vehicle of the character described comprising a wheeled frame vertically adjustable atits forward end, horizontally-disposed seats supported at their front divergent ends from the forward end of the frame and adjusting mechanism supporting the rear ends of the seats from the rear end of the frame, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we afix our signatures in'presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM T. MITCHELL. CHARLES S. SEWELL.

Witnesses:

WALTER GEORGE, FRANK LEWIS. 

